%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |   A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
|
July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
| 30-Day Challenge: 30 day prompt: There are a lot of great things to do and see in Sydney but you have one day so pick from the links what appeals to you and discuss what you discovered. Make us envious. Let your imagination get carried away.  Only One Day? I only had one day so I crammed it with the many things I wanted to see. First I centered on the Darling Harbor. I took some time to Brose part of Paddy's market. I bought a bracelet with rhinestones and garnets set as flowers and green glass leaves between each flower, then I found some dark glasses just right for viewing Antarctic coldness on a sunshiny day and a small stuffed kangaroo. There was so much see at the market but I could not stay to see it all. I simply had to check out the Chinese garden of Friendship. It was so beautiful with Chinese architecture and plants; birds and ducks; in a water setting complete with water falls. Perfect peace after the rowdy busy market place. These gardens are a picturesque model formed to show the way the Ming dynasty gardens are modeled. Next, I checked out the Choo Choo express at the Botanical Gardens. It was a perfect way to rest and view the Botanical Gardens. And, it's the only way to see as much as possible of the gardens during the time space we have. There are 45,000 species of plants on 75 acres in the Gardens. The Choo Choo express drives through, with a guide that explains each part. The Choo Choo stops to pick up passengers. You can disembark and walk around any particular place, than get back on as the next Choo Choo drives through. I saw a herb garden with so many herbs from around the world and a special rose garden. There are streets with street signs for walking running all through the gardens so you won't get lost if you have a guide. The ferry ride from wharf 3 stops at Linn Park and the Toranga zoo. It also goes by the opera house which is a beautiful opera house. Then of course the specialty of the day was the blue mountain tour. Blue Mountain By the end of the day I was happy to settle into the hotel. It is very clean and takes many special troubles because of pandemic. The views from the rooms are beautiful. I'm looking forward to the extra large breakfast since I will need lots of food fuel for tomorrow. I could only fit all this site seeing in on a virtual tour and live to tell about it. In reality it would take a week to do all the tours and see so many sights. Time to rest. Lights Out. |
| BCoFBCoF prompt: Let this quote inspire your entry: “ i had a dream when I was 22 that someday i would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till i came to one of the poles of the earth”― Ernest Shackleton Have you ever dreamed about seeing one of the poles? Where's your ideal dream place? This entry needs to be minimum of 100 words if you're participating in the challenge..  Quote: “Antarctica is otherworldly, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Stark, cold, beautiful desolation.” — Mark Hoppus https://medium.com/@StephanieHuston/11-travel-quotes-about-how-bad-ass-antarctic... ANTARCTICA DAY 2 Please follow the above link for some awesome pictures of Antarctica, maybe with a hot cup of tea.  Even in pictures you can visualize the deep silence and cold of the terrain. There are ways to live in cold environments. Just looking at these pictures makes me look forward to warmth. I've never dreamed of going to the lands of Ice and Wind. Years ago I was taught in a dream how to look for growing green things outside in the winter wonder land of Pennsylvania, USA. Yes, grass actually grows in sheltered places in winter where I live. Since then, I know that winter is only a season around here. It actually does not stay forever. Some years we experience longer cold than others. Never say never. I don't believe I would actually seek out the coldest frozen places of the earth like Antarctica and the North Pole. I don't remember ever having a dream about cold lands other than the one I mentioned above. Most dreams I have would not influence my travel plans. I'm not especially fond of extreme snow and ice accompanied with extreme wind. Wind actually makes the normal temperature drop, its called wind chill factor. I'm living where I want to stay. I have traveled to other places with different types of environmental challenges. Northern North Dakota is one. Below zero temperatures. I once had a cat that spent a night out when I lived there. One of his ears froze and eventually fell off. I liked Panama. It was very tropical and hot. I liked the buildings of brick and stone floors to keep people cool in the hottest part of the day. Dangerous insects and snakes. A lot of rats in the city. Still the good parts outnumbered the bad. Texas was fun also. Lots of warmth from the people and the climate. The awesome zoo in San Antonio was great. Like all tropical places snakes and insects abound. I was born in Florida. I have not been back since about 1957. It has grown up a lot since then. Maybe too many buildings for me? I like where I am now. Even in a bad year deep winter is usually only 4 to 6 months long. Spring and Fall are compatible with lots of time to get out of the house before summer sets in with heat and humidity. So, I juggle temperatures and life style. No matter where I would be forced to live I would try to live within the constraints of the environment. That's aging, it makes you acceptant to the whirl of life around you. I like geography. When I travel virtually, I try to learn all about the place I am traveling to and the social aspects of living in that environment. Antarctica has a lot of social aspects as well. It is a totally different type of living and I'm enjoying learning about the culinary and living conditions. Look, it has a four different bars and a restaurant where I stopped today. |
ZODIAC CRUISING -- 30-DAY  Zodiac Cruising The title Zodiac is used for a lot of different types of pontoon boats. It is also a brand of craft that starts at about USA dollars, $11,000.00. The argument is that the Zodiac pontoon craft may be more important than the cruise ship when you sign up for an expedition. A nice Zodiac is the Mark 5. It is a heavy duty, rigid hulled cruise vessel. As an environmentally friendly vessel it will get you closer to the sea and land life with its Yamaha 4-stroke engine. Used in the polar regions, they come with durable synthetic rubber which resists damage when pulling onto a stone or gravel base. Kayaks are also made of this type of material. Pontoons on the Zodiac are built with different chambers which keep the boat floating under adverse circumstances such as a puncture. Comfort for passengers is created by rigid floors and specially shaped hulls; ending in a safe ride combined with maneuverability and speed. Now you understand the craft you are about to depend on, let's go out and take a ride. The kayakers will depart first. Kayaks will be drawn up against the Zodiac and paddlers will sit on the side of the Zodiac and shift themselves over the side down into the kayak in a safe mount. Then passengers will take their seats. There is a short film to teach you the basics of Zodiac cruising. Then, we will commence a cruise. During the cruise keep a sharp look out for seals and other marine life that may approach to look us over. Be especially attentive to how calm and smooth the waters around us will be. There is seldom as peaceful and quiet a place as these waters and land can be. Keep your cameras dry and enjoy the cruise. |
| 30 day Activities :Kayaking with the whales and watching penguins and sampling local cuisine. Kayaking with Kate Kayaking for me today will be a one day trip because I like the paddling around and the atmosphere of smooth water boating, quiet of the cold, and companionship of other kayakers as we explore the area. I want a lot of pictures of the wildlife and that will be difficult from a kayak. Don't need to drop the camera overboard or have to many shaky pictures. Before we left I stocked up my dry pack with lots of chocolate and the bread that was recommended. I hope its true that the high fat and caloric counts of the food will burn off because of the cold. Just think a real reason to eat a lot of sugar and chocolate instead of trying not to eat it. I'm really nervous about kayaks and whales in the same waters. Although whales are known for trying to protect boaters from predators like the leopard seals. Antarctica was discovered by Whalers. If we are going to spend the night there, sleeping out under the stars. We will probably dig a trench or sleeping hole, spread our mat and polar sleeping bag, Then snuggle down into the bag and watch the awesome polar sky full of stars overhead. After it was discovered the land was claimed by numerous countries. Among the claimants Chili is actually the closest one to Antarctica. this surprised me because I thought it was closest to Australia. Ten Chilean children have actually been born on the cold continent. At one time there was, of course, a lot of hostility about who would own this frozen land and ice mass. This prompted the USA to issue this statement of policy in 1924. It is the opinion of this Department that the discovery of lands unknown to civilization, even when coupled with a formal taking of possession, does not support a valid claim of sovereignty, unless the discovery is followed by an actual settlement of the discovered country. The area south of 60 degrees South is designated by the Antarctic Treaty is a scientific preserve, and military activity is banned. The treaty came into force in 1961 and is currently signed by 50 countries. The treaty encourages scientific cooperation and does not recognize, dispute nor establish sovereign claims. 50 different survey stations have been established by 12 different countries for research of the continent. Antarctica is a land mass that holds approximately 80 percent of the fresh water reserves of the entire earth. One of the concerns presently is that those reserves will melt into the salt water seas. I found a lot of You tube information about recent discoveries of new melted holes in the ice pack, under ice caves and tunnels that are actually warm enough to possibly have living organic creatures which have not been yet discovered. However there are organic DNA that have been discovered there but are presently not identified with any DNA on the earth. So, science is working on the mysteries of Antarctica. A couple called Kara and Nate have posted travel videos on You tube of their adventures on cruise ships, that travel to Antarctica. You can learn a lot about how to dress for the cold, see penguins, seals, and killer whales. One of their videos is about an actual cruise they took complete with a polar plunge. Another is a sleep over on Antarctica. There have been 1600 meteorites collected on Antarctica since 1976. They are easily spotted because the makeup of the meteorite causes the ice to melt off it leaving it visible to the collector. One of these pieces of rock from outer space has been accurately identified as being from Mars. Another mystery not yet solved. How did we get a piece of mars on planet earth. The biggest bird, with the capability of flying, in residence. is the albatross. A special thing that is present in the atmosphere of this frozen land is the silence. It’s a deep beautiful quiet extending over the land. Broken only by the sea creatures when they chatter, calling back and forth as they rest from swimming in the sea. There is a special current that flows around Antarctica that keeps the cold into the land mass. Another interesting scientific feature. As the ice melts and science discovers more about the continent it will be newsworthy. I’m off to dress warmly for a day of exploring the continent. As a group we can dig a trench and sleep out in polar bags tonight. Let’s take some photos of the stars tonight. I wonder if you can feed the wildlife? As long as it isn’t me they are eating. Bye Till Later.  |
  DOWN UNDER Quote I Used: “Antarctica, you know, that giant continent at the bottom of the earth ruled by penguins and seals.” by C.B. Cook, Twinepathy. Antarctica is the 5th largest continent. The largest land animal is a wingless midge, Belgica antarctica. It’s about 0.5 inches ;able to survive through winters on the continent and lives to eat other types of insects that live there during the summers. As for penguins and seals they mostly live in the oceans off the coast of Antarctica. They eat the krill and other small ocean inhabitants. They rest on the land, birth and raise their young there. But, truly inhabit the sea along the coast. The most dangerous mammal is the Leopard Seal which will eat anything and has been known to attack humans. It is also known to attack small boats sometimes. So, beware kayakers. I guess the very fact the animals can withstand the climate makes them rulers by social abilities. Twinepathy sounds like a story to be read. According to C. B. Cook , from his blog World of the Writer, found at Wordpress.com, Twinepathy is now on the shelves for 4 years and a new book is coming out soon. There is more to learn about the continent down under than I ever noticed before. I’m on my way now to do more research. Until another day; Happy Trails in the snow. (Then why is it so warm here?)  |
COLORS FOR BCoF People ask me about colors once in awhile. I'm not sure why? I don't have a really favorite color. When I was a child I always said Red was my favorite color. Now, I wear lots of different colors. I do prefer pastels to really dark colors. At least for me, color depends on moods and what you are doing with color. I found this on WIKI about Chromeisthesia. When you hear a strong sound and your mind connects it to a color. This is a part of Synesthesia. Some people see letters or numbers as a color. When this happens it's called Grapheme Synesthesia. If a sound triggers a color in one of a persons senses it is called Tone Synesthesia. The word synesthesia means something connecting senses to colors. Or something that should stimulate one of your senses actually stimulates more than one sense. Like colors showing up with sounds. There is actually a formula X---Y where X is the trigger experience and Y indicates the additional sense experience. White noise is all the colors of the rainbow mixed together so not one is distinguishable from another in the sound. Sound waves do have colors depending on The depth of the sound wave. Pink noise is considered the best for deep sleep. I'm wondering now if it is found in some bell sounds. I think color is important to life. It helps us know things about what we see. Is the apple ripe? I wish everyone happy traveling in August. Bye now I have to pack for the trip. Apondia apondia#1781748 |
| Congratulations on making it to the last day of the competition! What was your favorite prompt from the last month? What was the most rewarding aspect of participating in the competition? Quote: “What new technology does is create new opportunities to do a job that customers want done.” – Tim O’Reilly https://criteriaforsuccess.com/18-awesome-technology-quotes-to-inspire-motivate/... COMMENTS  I like the socialization on the comments. In the 60's I lived in a trailer court. The managers held a morning coffee get together for all the residence 5 mornings a week. It was the place to share ideas or problems with other females or just catch up on the residential news. 30-day comments delve into lots of problems which often we all share. That's a good kind of sharing. Favorite was July 28 because there were lots of relevant comments and discussion involved. I'm still thinking of comments for that and technologies for July 29th. I really liked the video of the cooking robot in the kitchen I'm wondering how much 60 thousand pounds is, cause that's how much it cost. NASA has one so it must work. If there is an august holiday I'll be back for it. Bye now. apondia#1781748 |
Write about an invention or technology that you wish existed that would make your life better.{/c Quote: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an ass of yourself.” “Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.” https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/freedom-of-speech NEW TECH I guess affordable WIFI. When I first heard about 5G it sounded like it would do the job but, now there are all kinds of glitches. We can't get DSL through phone because the phone lines have never been upgraded. We had VO wifi by Verizon but were priced out of it. Hughes.net is where we landed which has always been excellent but we cannot run a business unless we upgrade to another price. Price for rural people has always been a problem even for line telephones. There is technology out there being developed. Some of it may be still in the development stage. For instance, a company in Israel is developing a way to recycle every kind of trash known to humans. It would ease the recycling problems. Right now where I live recycling is practically non existent. All the centers have been closed and the one that is close makes you pay to recycle by the bag full. In Pa. you pay for everything you do. In more ways than money. I would like to get another floor cleaning robot. The one I have is so efficient. Even with the fact that you have to stop it every so often to empty the bowl it still does a great job on the floors which saves me lots of time. There again price is always a problem but the makers of these little fun cleaning agents are incorporating more and more innovating ideas into the product. Someone deliberately removed a small gasket from the spinning cleaning brush on mine. I figured out how to fix it and it still works great. Something else a kindle in which, the battery could easily be changed. A robotic food dispenser. Or, lawn mowers that could be programed like floor vacuums. Around here we don't hear about the new idea out there which are being tested and put into use. I watch for new things by looking on the internet or listening to a TED. There is a new tech version of a robotic arm that fries burgers but I haven't read much about it. ![Merit Badge in Favorite
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on your winning entry [Link to Book Entry #950638] in the [Link To Item #1786069] !](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Favorite.gif) |
| All month, you’ve been replying to prompts straight from the Challenge War Chest, filled with prompts from previous 30DBC competitors. Today, write three of your own prompts and then reply to one of them in your entry.  Promptly Find Prompts Quote: "It can be hard to get going in the morning. Some days it feels nearly impossible. We all need a little help to get moving every once in a while." https://inkandvolt.com/blogs/articles/15-inspirational-morning-quotes-journaling... Prompt one: What kind of motivation do you use to get moving when your day starts? Quote: “Like an ability or a muscle, hearing your inner wisdom is strengthened by doing it.” Robbie Gass https://inkandvolt.com/blogs/articles/15-inspirational-morning-quotes-journaling... Prompt two: Often stories start with a quote or the writer uses a poem or quote in their story. How often do you use a quote in a writing? Where or how do you find a quote you want to use? Have you ever been influenced to change your life by a quote? The Prompt I'm Writing About Prompt Three: I was in my final year of college when I found this idea in a Readers Digest magazine: Stand as close to a wall facing it as you can get then touch your nose and toes on the wall. Tell us how you felt while you were doing this and what happened when you shared this experience with other people? Have you done any other small funny things? After I read this I tried it.  At first I felt silly and then started laughing, because it isn't difficult to do but, beware of losing your balance. shared this with some other students in a class I was taking. The obvious idea was met by blank stares but, one young person laughed with me and said he was going home after class and try it. Life gives you some odd ideas not all of them have serious thoughts attached. I was 60 when I first read this and tried it. It's just a funny thing. People do lots of odd things. I recently watched America's Funniest Videos. The segment was; a father held his cell phone against the wall with his young son facing the wall. He was going to drop the cell phone and if the child could catch it with his forehead he could have it. Of course, the child was excited by this and you could tell the dad was thinking, never happen he will just bang his head against the wall. Well of course the child caught the phone and walked away with it. The family watching this was over whelmed by the accomplishment with cheers and the dad was very startled to lose his cell phone. Lots of odd and startling ideas out there to keep pandemic at bay. HAVE A FUN DAY |
| What food would you like to judge in a Cook-Off? {/center Quote: “Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” – Harriet Van Horne https://littleraesbakery.com/2020/02/19/12-quotes-about-cooking-from-the-heart/ NOT AT ALL I do not enjoy cooking. I can cook. You don't raise dairy goats and sheep without learning the art of making cheese and preparing palatable lamb dishes. You don't raise a garden and raise 4 children without learning how to cook. My grandmother taught me to cut up and clean a chicken, my brother taught me the navy way to scramble eggs, my first husband taught me to cook an egg easy over, make tuna casserole and bought some recipe books. My second husband bought me more recipe books. An aunt gave me a recipe for her home made bread. Now I use a bread machine. I don't like to cook, because I like to snack not eat. K started the garden idea. His family always had a large garden which his father did a lot of the work in it. K's idea is he tells me how to do the work, I do it. Ha. Ain't gonna fly. I like raised beds and container gardening. Lots of flowers. He likes traditional neat rows of vegetables. No weeds. Ha.  Who is gonna do the weeding. Over the years one of my sons helped me lay papers between beds to keep down weeds. Helped for awhile. Oh yeah and lots of wonderful cooking means dirty dishes. I do the dishes. Now we have a dish washer. In his favor, he has been trying to do better since corona. Unloads the dish washer now and then keeps his own room clean. His job he likes and does best is to keep the machinery running. Most of the machinery is elderly and needs maintenance on a regular basis. That's a job I don't like to do. So, he can have it. It's a fairly regular job too. As bad as house cleaning. I guess I could judge a cheese making cook off or yogurt or even bread and be fairly accurate about what the results should be. Vegetable dishes would be fun too. It just occurred to me if I'm the judge someone else will do the cooking. OK then good deal. I don't like green beans, however green beans and mushrooms cooked in a butter sauce are pretty good. Salmon patties with a cold salad and strawberries in ice water for a summer cool drink. See I can cook I just don't like to cook. I'll cook if you do the dishes. Don't forget to clean the table and sweep the floor. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
